Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-12-09

Mrs Mattisuu's fault. said she ~ never
in my life heard anything 50 outrageous AS
a stranger forcing her way into our enter
toinment Who knows whether she can
sing "A note Anyhow, wash my hands
Of the whole thing l'
Miss Bell from New York, looks kind
o good in the paper we nailed upon the
church door said HOratio. 81 dare say
she be better than nobody
Not a soul in the audience, however, was
prepared for the wild burst Of melody with
which Mary Bell greeted them on the night
of the concert
~ declare" said Deacon Broadhead
"Was that 'rwckenham Ferry 1t don't
sound no more like 'Twickonham Ferry
that my Eliza Jane sings than If it warn't
no blood relation
"She sings like a lark said old Miss
Small, wiping her eyes. 1T does me good
to listen to herr
at may be fine singing, says Mrs. Cap
tain Close, "Lut | don't believe in those
screeching voices. Give me cultivation
say H.
at ain t the way we was brought up to
sing. said Miss Hannah Hall Anyhow,
it would have been only polteness for her
TO come on and make the audience n court
dies off agin' the floor
"P'raps She was boshful, ' suggested Dor
cas- Broa1head
Nonsense f. said Mrs Captain Close
Upon the whole, 5lackville couldn't de
eide whether it liked Mary Bell or not. She
had certainly startled them out Of their ap-
athy but they were little ashamed Of
having been thrown off their guard. And
they universally agreed that lit wasn't
what they had been used to.
But the Slackvic choir succeeded in
raising S25 from the proceeds Of the con
cert, and they went 10 New York and put
up ut the modest establishment Of Deacon
Eliphaz AIidgetts widow.
And after their supper Of beans and cold
corned beef, and u powdered variety of ba
ker's sweet cake. that some how suggest
ed the idea Of one Of Pharaoh's mummies
they set forth to the Academy of Music,
lloratiI Mattison aud Hannah Hall leading
the way, and Mrs Captain Close following
with Mr. Ferdinand Jones'
Dear me, what crowd ~ said Miss
Hall
And how elegant the ladies are dressed
to be sure said Mrs Captain Close with
an uneasy glance at her dyed green silk
gown.
Anu lltu lile IlhN rush consequent upon
the opening of the doors, the squeeze, the
shrieks, the gestculations Of ushers and
the determination of everybody 10 get into
somebody elses seat, which characterizes
the musical public ON held-nights, he they
Of high or low degree
"Only a concert TO night. said Mrs. Cap
tain Close. II did s'pose it was to be the
opera.
1t don't matter what it is so long as Sig
nora Belloni's wonderful voice scared up
ward like slver-dove, rising steadily
above the blare of the orchestra.
Mrs Captain Close looked at Mr. Matti-
son with a bewildered air Mr.. Jones stared
at Hannah Hall
at can't be possible" said Mrs. Cap
tain Close.
"No, it can't '' cried Hannah.
But it is certainly she said Horatio.
With the encore. Signura Belluu came
| smiliugly forward aud sang "Twickenham
/ Ferry - and o., she sang She fixed her dark
| sparkling eyes full ON the Slackville choir.
Once more the flowers fell in drifts OF
/ snow and carmine around her; once more
/ the peal- of applause rose up and Signora
| Belloni retired ,mingly from the stage,
! leaving the rural quartet more amazed than
ever.
! SluckNllle would halulN beneNe tne news
/ when the choir came back That the ia
nous cantatrice, Signora Beoni, should
| have sojourned in their midst as Miss
/ Bell seemed an impossibility that she
| should have washed Mrs Dodd's dishes, and
driven CLOVER" and ''Spottie' home in the
autumn twilights. was simply Incredible
"Of course my name isn't Belloni, the
/ brilliant vocalist afterward told Mrs Dodd
-'Eothng on earth but good, honest Bell
/ And the doctor said needed three months
entire rest before appeared in concert,
again and where could ! get such rest II,
your farm afforded 1t was such fun t.
bee iucognita in that wilderness. But
earned dollar, she added, with mischiev-
ous exultation and | think | rather as
tonished those good people when l sang
| 'rwickenham Ferry at the choir-conctrt
Il guess you did :" said Mrs Dodd